The recent upheaval in Sri Lanka is an extreme example of the recent problems in the world. Covid disrupted the country’s key industries, especially tourism, and then leaders failed to adapt – sparking a series of economic disasters, including food and fuel shortages. The crisis sparked protests, culminating in the resignation of the president and the installation of a new president on Wednesday.
My colleague Emily Schmall has reported on Sri Lanka. I spoke to her about the crisis in the country.
What brought Sri Lanka to this point?
Over the past six months, economic conditions for ordinary Sri Lankans have become increasingly difficult. Things like fuel and cooking gas became more expensive and harder to find, and inflation rose. New government import bans meant that goods from abroad, such as chocolate and coffee beans, disappeared.
In Sri Lanka there is a large middle class. People are not used to scarcity, so they immediately noticed when things started disappearing from the shelves. People were angry about that. And the ability to continue became nearly impossible in the past month or so.
In the end, protesters took over the presidential palace. How did that happen?
It started with the protesters marching to the president’s mansion on July 9. Government officials tear gassed at them and fired live ammunition around them. This made people furious. A few seized a military truck and used it to break down the gate. Hundreds of people then poured in and found this place essentially deserted – the president had fled and no one stopped them from entering. Then they did the same at Temple Trees, the prime minister’s official residence.
But the protesters did not search the case. They started inviting the public to come in, but in an orderly manner. Activists forced people to line up neatly. They treated these houses like museums. They were concerned about not damaging property.
After about 24 hours, a merriment came over the place and some people swam in the president’s pool. They had done it: They had forced this extremely powerful president – who was charged with war crimes, who was feared – to leave his own home and even the country. But they did it peacefully, without taking up arms.
So it was an atmosphere of joy and disbelief, with a bit of absurdity and a bit of comedy – a very Sri Lankan kind of revolution, relatively low-key and polite.
I can’t help but compare this to the uprising in the US Capitol. This seemed much calmer.
Oh yeah. I had to think about it too.
There were several differences. First, these people were not armed. It was also a bit spontaneous and there was no clear leader. They were not doing it in conjunction with any politician or political party.
But the big difference was that these protesters had widespread support. Ordinary Sri Lankans applauded them and even joined in. People who would otherwise never be involved in activism or protests merrily wandered through the buildings, enjoying themselves and basking in the success of this movement.
In the US, we’ve been dealing with inflation and supply shortages lately. But this sounds like a whole different level of trouble.
Yes. So in the US, Americans have been complaining about fuel prices. Sri Lanka, on the other hand, ran out of fuel. It’s not just that it was expensive; it was impossible to find.
How did the government react?
Until a few months later, there was really no government recognition of the crisis. The Gotabaya Rajapaksa dynasty led the government at the time and he had appointed his brothers and his cousin to his cabinet. He didn’t take much advice from outside his family.
There was a lot of denial among them. They were repeatedly told that the economy was deteriorating. But they were sure that tourism would continue to grow after Covid and that would be enough to keep the finances up. But that didn’t happen; tourism started to come back, but it wasn’t enough.
I was surprised that so much of the country was run by this one family. Is that unusual in Sri Lankan history?
Even for Sri Lanka it was strange.
There are a number of families in politics. Rajapaksa was defense minister when his brother was president from 2005 to 2015.
But this government was an extraordinarily brutal example. The Sri Lankan government increasingly resembled a family business. And so it went: a lot of secrecy, little transparency, not many outsiders. The family tried to take advantage of the policies imposed by the government.
Does the new government have the confidence of the people?
Protesters are not happy with Ranil Wickremesinghe, the new president. They believe that his takeover reaffirms the influence of the Rajapaksa, as he represents the establishment and has appointed a friend of the Rajapaksa family as his prime minister.
What’s next for Sri Lanka?
In the short term, we are likely to see continued turmoil. But people are being invested to ensure that Sri Lanka does not find itself again in this situation where it is teetering on autocracy, where there is little transparency and where the will of the people is ignored. So it is mainly a positive story.
More about Emily Schmall: Growing up in DeKalb, Illinois, she once had a job clearing corn. She decided to become a journalist in high school. She began her career with The Miami Herald in 2005 and joined the New Delhi bureau at The Times in 2020.
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